Monthly Report: April 2012

30Apr

Looks like this will be a recurring feature after all! Here are the films I saw for the first time during the month of April, along with mini-reviews and ratings.

Horrible Bosses (Seth Gordon, 2011)
There are a few fairly funny lines in this one, but the real reason it (barely) succeeds is the cast. They have fun with their characters and find the right tone for the material – Kevin Spacey in particular is spot-on as one of the bosses. I have some pretty big problems with the plot, which is contrived in a non-funny way and feature more logic gaps than what’s easy to swallow. Overall, I guess the movie was okay, but I don’t see myself ever revisiting it.3/5

Pleasantville (Gary Ross, 1998)
It’s always a delight when a movie grows as it goes along and becomes something richer than you expected. I had figured this one would be merely a fun-poking of old 50s sitcoms, and it looked that way at first. But then it changes and evolves, finding nuances in unexpected places and bringing up thoughts and ideas I though would be left unexplored. And what a stunning blend of black & white and color! Wonderful stuff. I wish I had seen this one before I made my Top 10 of 1998 list. It would have made the cut for sure. 5/5

We Bought a Zoo (Cameron Crowe, 2011)
Very formulaic for sure, with few surprises to behold to anyone who has seen this kind of drama-comedy before. But it’s sweet, it’s charming, it offers a surprisingly high amount of laughs, and the cast all put in solid efforts – from Matt Damon and Thomas Haden Church to Angus Macfadyen and Elle Fanning. We Bought a Zoo might not be Cameron Crowe’s most daring work, but it has a lot of heart.4/5

Hysteria (Tanya Wexler, 2011)
Neither as interesting nor as sexy as you’d think a film about the invention of the vibrator might be, but as a period flick rom-com, it works well enough. I’m mostly just happy to see Maggie Gyllenhaal again, as I reckon it’s been way too long since I last saw something of hers. She pulls off a pretty good English accent here. Hidden depths!3/5

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Peter R. Hunt, 1969)
One of my favorite Bond films so far. The action is good, the story flows nicely, it’s funny, the villains are effective, and the ending is teriffic. More importantly, it manages to humanize James Bond and make me care about what happens to him, not entirely unlike what the 2006 Casino Royale did. Unsurprisingly, that one’s also among my favorites of the series. Read my full review here.4/5

The Samaritan (David Weaver, 2012)
Crime thriller with elements of con movies, as a man is released from prison after 25 years and finds himself pulled back to the wrong side of the law. The story has some nice twists and turns to it, and the cast is a cool one – I was immediately fascinated by Ruth Negga, an actress I hadn’t seen before, and Tom Wilkinson makes for a fun antagonist. What hurts this film is the rushed pacing. I could easily have done with another 20-30 minutes to better establish the relationships between the characters and the boilings of the plot. Still, what’s there makes for a fun watch.3/5

Bad Ass (Craig Moss, 2012)
Yes, Danny Trejo is indeed badass. Unfortunately, there just isn’t a whole lot for his character to do in this film. He has a few cool lines and fight scenes, but it’s far from enough. This is also a case of a missed opportunity, as the whole “unlikely hero becomes an internet sensation” thing is hardly explored at all. Quite disappointing.2/5

Contraband (Baltasar Kormákur, 2012)
Dime-a-dozen heist/smuggling thriller, with nary an original idea in sight and a distinct lack of actual suspense and thrills. I enjoyed Giovanni Ribisi‘s bad-guy character, but apart from that, this one is unremarkable.2/5

The Darkest Hour (Chris Gorak, 2011)
Oh, Olivia Thirlby and Emile Hirsch, you both deserve so much better than this. I wanted to like this alien invasion flick, as it does some fun things with the way the characters try to survive while being pursued by the invaders. But this is an effects-filled movie where the effects look cheap, and the characters are wafer-thin and far below the cast’s capabilities. There is some effort here to create something entertaining, but the hurdles prove too big to overcome.2/5

The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)
Not as interesting thematically as some other Hitchcock films I’ve seen, and I could probably nitpick story-wise about some stupid actions and decisions made by the characters. The horror elements are teriffic however, and the interactions between Melanie, Mitch, Annie and Lydia are fascinating in their own way. The scene where Tippy Hedren waits at the playground is one I’ll never forget, I reckon.4/5

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997)
An effective critique of how violence has permeated entertainment. In terms of hitting all the right buttons and evoking all the right emotions, Funny Games succeeds. Haneke makes his point a bit too obvious at times though. You might argue that this is a necessity, but I’m not fully convinced. Did I “like” the film? To this I ask: How could anyone “like” it? Giving this one a numerical rating feels borderline irrelevant, but I’ll stick to protocol.3/5

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Guy Ritchie, 2011)
I was pleasantly surprised to find this one more or less retain the same level of quality as Ritchie’s first Sherlock Holmes movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law still have mad chemistry, Stephen Fry earns plenty of laughs in his supporting role, and the climax trumps anything seen in either of the two films. I’m a bit disappointed that they couldn’t find more for Noomi Rapace to do, though. Her character was unnecessary.4/5

Haywire (Stephen Soderbergh, 2011)
Pretty decent action film here. The fight and chase scenes are particularly good, and MMA fighter Gina Carano in the lead deserves a lot of the credit. She has the potential to become a great action heroine. She certainly has the physical prowess required. Whether the charisma and acting skills are there to sustain her in the long run remains to be seen. This movie didn’t offer any indication of it.3/5

The Answer Man (John Hindman, 2009)
A not very good romcom, which relies on implausibilities and people acting irrationally to an annoying degree. The cast is what lured me in, but Jeff Daniels can’t overcome the poor script, and Olivia Thirlby and Kat Dennings are both underutilized. Annother issue is that the subplot with Lou Taylor Pucci is really boring. I’ll admit that the film was somewhat funny on occasions, but not nearly enough for me to recommend it to anyone.2/5

The Housemaid (Sang-soo Im, 2010)
A simple premise – wealthy husband starts an affair with the new maid – but the story is a rich one. It effectively conveys the motivations and repercussions of everything that happens, all through its well-written characters. At times a reflection on motherhood through more than one viewpoint, at others a critique of the spoiled and entitled nature of the rich. I enjoyed this one a lot.4/5

Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011)
While it mostly lacked the compelling characters of Iron Man, this still ranks as one of my favorite pre-Avengers films. I could have done without all the Dutch angles everywhere, and there were too many times during the action scenes when logic got tossed aside to make room for movie conventions. Apart from that, this was a fun film. I enjoyed the disconnect between the people of Earth and the boisterious nature of the Asgardians, and Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki is up there with Doc Ock and Magneto as one of the more interesting Marvel movie antagonists. Oh, and Kat Dennings makes for great comic relief (“What’s Myeh-myeh?”). I was more interested in the Avengers movie after seeing this one than I was before, so mission accomplished. 3/5

Millions (Danny Boyle, 2004)
Boyle shows off his versatility as a director by crafting a sweet and affecting family movie, while still retaining his usual style. The story – about a boy who finds a bag full of money – is a good one. Wise, and only occasionally too sugary. Most of it is a clever view of the world through the eyes of a child. Good acting and a solid script goes a long way. Add Danny Boyle to the mix, and you have a keeper. 4/5

Arthur (Jason Winer, 2011)
I generally like Russell Brand. He has charisma to spare and has been put to good use in certain films. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t work in this one. When he’s irresponsible, he’s more annoying than funny, and when the story calls for the character to go through some kind of redemption, he’s not convincing. The supporting actresses (Greta Gerwig, Helen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner) do fine jobs, but it’s not nearly enough. The movie just isn’t very funny. Shame, because I actually liked the trailer.2/5

A Royal Affair (Nikolaj Arcel, 2012)
A Danish period piece with a subject matter you might be able to deduce from its title. The story doesn’t offer much in terms of surprises or creativity, and the film takes some time before the characters really start to click – which I blame less on the actors than on other factors. The early goings are a bit dull, to be frank. That said, A Royal Affair does grow as it progresses, the characters come to life, and there’s some interesting questions being raised about just who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s not as black and white as it might seem at first. Overall, this is certainly a watchable film, though I wouldn’t call it a must-see. 3/5

The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012)
Highly entertaining, and better than the individual films that lead up to it. The meeting of the superheroes really feels like a big deal, the action is sweet and carries a lot of impact, and Hulk steals the show with some of the film’s greatest moments. Is it a flawless masterpiece, though? No. The plot as such really isn’t anything special. This isn’t a huge detriment to this kind of movie, but considering that there have been five films’ worth of build-up, it would have been cool to have something a bit more epic in scope. Another issue is that Black Widow and Hawkeye feel kind of superfluous. These things don’t hurt the film as such, but it does prevent it from reaching The Dark Knight levels of greatness. It’s still well worth your time and money, though. 4/5

Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)
An interesting look at one way supervillains may become what they are. The first half or so when the kids experiment with their new-found powers is a lot of fun – though the plot does take a bit too long to get moving. Once it does, the film becomes surprisingly engaging on a human level. The action-fest towards the end doesn’t really work for me though, and the film closes on a bit of a low mark as a result. Still, I had a lot of fun watching this one. I’d call it one of the better found footage films I’ve seen. 4/5

Total # of new films seen: 21
Average score: 3.2 / 5
Best film of the month: Pleasantville
Worst film of the month: The Answer Man

21 responses to “Monthly Report: April 2012”

Even though I think Funny Games (and every other Haneke film) is brilliant, I’m glad you gave it 3/5. Haneke himself said he finds it deeply uncomfortable when he meets a “fan” of the movie, saying he would much prefer people to hate it than love it, because its phrase is to be hated. I hope your dislike of the movie won’t prevent you from checking out his other stuff though – Caché and The White Ribbon are both cracking good and provocative.

Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that I disliked it. I found it interesting and engaging, and the 3/5 score – arbitrary as it may be – still indicates a passing grade. I definitely appreciate the movie.

I’ve been meaning to explore Haneke more for a while now. I’ve seen Caché and The Piano Teacher so far, the latter which I enjoyed more. White Ribbon is one I’m quite interested in, so that’ll probably be the next step going forward. I haven’t loved any of Haneke’s films yet, but I’m very intrigued by him as a film-maker regardless.

Glad you liked The Piano Teacher. Most people I recommend it to hate it, so I’m glad you liked it. It’s my second favourite Haneke film after Code Unknown, which I would recommend but it’s probably best to watch after you’ve seen a few more Haneke films as it is a more difficult one (ie, it has very little plot and consists only of a series of disconnected scenes with a theme of intolerance and racism in modern society).

The White Ribbon manages stunningly to look like it was actually made 70 or 80 years ago, even though it wasn’t. It is incredibly realistic, both visually and emotionally.

Also worth checking out is The Seventh Continent, but don’t read ANYTHING about it before seeing it. Not even the plot summary on the DVD. Not a sentence. Most plot summaries of that film spoil it, and I don’t know why since that’s so unfair.

The Seventh Continent is already on my rental queue. I don’t remember adding it, but then that’s far from unusual for me. Odds are I’ve seen you mention it on your blog at some point. Anyway, since I don’t know what it’s about, I’ll follow your advice and bump it up on the queue. Thanks for the recommendations!

Yeah, Millions is one of those Boyle films that rarely get talked about. I suspect its firm rooting in the family film genre is what’s keeping people at bay. It’s a shame. The film deserves better than that.

Haywire is well worth checking out for many reasons. 1: It’s Soderbergh, and it’s always interesting to see what kind of films he cooks up since he has such a varied filmography. 2: It’s loaded with big name actors – Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum and more. 3: The action is pretty damn sweet. I hope you enjoy the film when you get around to watching it.

Hot dog, Emil, you’re on fire. Lots of interesting stuff here. I knew you’d like Pleasantville, I just knew it. :-) I more or less agreed with you on many things here, including Answer Man, Arthur, Millions, and Horrible Bosses. Your positive thoughts on We Bought A Zoo and Chronicle have me looking forward to them more than I originally was. I should be seeing those very soon.

I’m debating whether or not to continue my monthly recap, but I really enjoy reading yours and others as well. I hope this recurring feature of yours remains alive!

Yeah, April turned out to be a surprisingly film-heavy month for me. In addition to all the new stuff mentioned here, I got a lot of rewatches done as well. It helps that I have a real life friend with lots of free time on his hands. Many of these movies weren’t seen alone.

No surprise at this point that our taste match up quite often. :P Yeah, Pleasantville was just a huge treat. I’m very glad you lead me on to it.

I could see Chronicle being one of those films we might differ on for some reason, though I hope it’ll be in your liking. I can’t see you disliking We Bought a Zoo, though. It may be a bit fluff-ish, but it’s pleasant fluff with talented people behind it. It deserves better than to get lost in the shuffle.

I will most likely continue with these monthly reports. I wrote up the first one all in one go at the end of last month. This one I’ve written gradually, adding a new part whenever I see another movie. It keeps things low-maintenance throughout the month, and then I just have to tidy it up a bit before posting it. Since I’m so infrequent when it comes to writing full proper reviews, this at least will give people the chance to see what I’m watching and how I like it.

I’d love to see your monthly recaps continue for much the same reasons. Keep up the great work, Dave!

Thank you, Emil! That’s what I currently do — write it up after seeing the film, and then tidying it up the long list at the end of the month for a big post. I want to experiment with posting short bursts of Quick Takes content because I don’t post frequently and it would give my site a little more “action.” We’ll see. I’m always trying new things. One thing my blog isn’t: consistent. :-)

Just discovered your blog through Flickers… I’m surprised that you’ve seen Hysteria and The Housemaid, two rather unknown films that I’ve seen too.
I think Hysteria is most fun for women, I really enjoyed watching it with my girlfriends. It’s not sexy, that’s right, but very entertaining and with some funny scenes. The Housemaid was something very else… I watched it for the trailer, which I found intriguing from the first second. Let’s just say the viewing experience was… intense. My first South Korean film, in a cinema, alone… it was strange. So different from the films I’m used to. But nevertheless interesting and catching.

I also liked Horrible Bosses, at least for a one-time-watch. Jennifer Aniston finally played another character. And I started watching Thor this month, but still have to finish it…

Welcome to the blog, then! Always a pleasure to have new visitors and commenters.

Hysteria is one of those films I would have seen sooner or later. I tend to gravitate towards Maggie Gyllenhaal, whom I’m quite fond of. The Housemaid I had been recommended by a fellow blogger, I believe. It sounded interesting to me, and I’d had some prior positive experience with South Korean cinema.I didn’t see it in theater like you unfortunately, but it was engrossing nonetheless.

Aniston did a fine job in Horrible Bosses. I did not care for the way the character was written, but I won’t deny that Aniston did her best with what she was given. I’m no big fan of her in general, but she impressed me here.

I loved Chronicles, and didn’t have a problem with the third act like apparently a lot of people did. Haywire was a interesting but flawed experiment imo. I found game of Shadows fun, and everytime Moriaty was on-screen it was pretty amazing. I found the Housemaid interesting, although i don’t remember finding the ending being completely satisfying.

Yeah, Moriarty was a highlight of A Game of Shadows for sure. Definitely a better villain than in the first movie. Shame you didn’t like the ending of The Housemaid. I thought that was really powerful stuff, and one of my favorite parts of the film.

Plesantville is truly a wondeful film. I was very disappointed with A Game of Shadows, I adore the first movie and this one was just…off. It was not fun or engaging and the way Rapace was underused was just horrible to witness.